Natural antimicrobial compounds perform their action mainly against cell membranes. The aim of this work was to evaluate the interaction, meant as a mechanism of action, of essential oil antimicrobial compounds with the microbial cell envelope. The lipid profiles of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Brochothrix thermosphacta cells treated with thymol, carvacrol, limonene, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde have been analyzed by gas chromatography. In line with the fatty acids analysis, the treated cells were also observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate structural alterations. The overall results showed a strong decrease of the unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) for the treated cells; in particular, the C18:2trans and C18:3cis underwent a notable reduction contributing to the total UFA decreases, while the saturated fatty acid C17:0 raised the highest concentration in cinnamaldehyde-treated cells. SEM images showed that the used antimicrobial compounds quickly exerted their antimicrobial activities, determining structural alterations of the cell envelope.

Major active compounds from essential oils are well-known to possess antimicrobial activity against both pathogen and spoilage microorganisms. The aim of this work was to determine the alteration of the membrane fatty acid profile as an adaptive mechanism of the cells in the presence of a sublethal concentration of antimicrobial compound in response to a stress condition. Methanolic solutions of thymol, carvacrol, limonene, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol were added into growth media of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Brochothrix thermosphacta, and Staphylococcus aureus strains. Fatty acid extraction and gas chromatographic analysis were performed to assess changes in membrane fatty acid composition. Substantial changes were observed on the long chain unsaturated fatty acids when the E. coli and Salmonella strains grew in the presence of limonene and cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol and eugenol, respectively. All compounds influenced the fatty acid profile of B. thermosphacta, while Pseudomonas and S. aureus strains did not show substantial changes in their fatty acid compositions.

Thymol is a natural biocide and component of some essential oils from herbs. Its inhibitory effect on the growth of different microorganisms is well documented. The precise targets of the antibacterial action of thymol is not yet been fully established, the action seems to take place in different ways. The strain Salmonella enterica serovar Thompson MCV1 was grown in the presence of a sublethal concentration (0.01%) of thymol. The proteins extracted from treated and untreated cells were subjected to 2-D PAGE, followed by in-gel spot digestion and subsequent MALDI-TOF analysis. The analysis of gels showed many proteins that were either upregulated or downregulated by the presence of thymol, with significant changes in proteins belonging to different functional classes. In particular, the thioredoxin-1 was not expressed in the treated cells, indicating that its absence could be a consequence of the stress caused by the presence of thymol. On the other hand, different chaperon proteins were upregulated or de novo synthesis such as GroEL and DnaK, key proteins in the protection mechanism toward thermal stress. Outer membrane proteins were upregulated in treated cells; indeed the bacterial envelope stress response is trigged by the accumulation of misfolded outer membrane proteins. Moreover, the thymol seems to impair the citrate metabolic pathway, as well as many enzymes involved in the synthesis of ATP. Definitely, thymol plays a role in altering very different pathways of cell metabolism.